Psychology Commons^™

Using Interpersonal Motives To Identify Latent Profiles Of Borderline Personality Pathology: Implications For An Overcontrolled Style Of Bpd, Regina Schreiber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is conceptualized as a disorder of undercontrol (i.e., behaviorally impulsive, emotionally expressive), with affective, interpersonal, and identity instability. BPD related impairment is high, yet diagnostic accuracy remains a problem for individuals who present with greater overcontrol (i.e., behavioral inhibition, expressive suppression), which occurs in some BPD subtypes. The current study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to expand on prior research by identifying latent profiles based on interpersonal motives for agency and relatedness, desire for predictability, perceived dependency, and self-efficacy in a sample of people with elevated BPD features (n = 136). Individual differences in overcontrol, undercontrol, …

School Counselor Burnout And Self-Efficacy And Their Impact On The Degree Of Implementation Of A Comprehensive School Counseling Program, Rebecca Pierre-Louis

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

School Counselors are educators who are vital in supporting students’ educational development. School Counselors do this by delivering a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, and prevention-oriented school counseling programs that provide direct, indirect, and responsive services to support students’ career, academic, and social/emotional development. School Counselors do this while often experiencing an expanded definition of their role within a school building. While research supports the benefits of comprehensive school counseling programs to schools and students, school counselors often face large student caseloads. As well, they are tasked with many non-school counseling duties, which hampers the delivery of a comprehensive school counseling program. …

Link Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Parenting Styles Of African American Fathers, Tatianna P. Johnson

Dissertations

African American fathers may be more susceptible than fathers of other races to having a negative parenting style due to their high levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are traumatic experiences during childhood that can affect a person’s mental and physical health, income and adult parenting style. African American adults tend to have experienced multiple levels of ACEs at a higher rate than White and Asian adults (Maguire-Jack et al., 2021). ACEs can lead to adults experiencing higher levels of alcoholism, depression, health-related issues, mental illness, substance use, and academic problems. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to …

Immersive Consulting On The Ground: Learning Od By Doing It, Mendiola Teng-Calleja, Jaimee Felice Caringal-Go, Maria Regina Hechanova-Alampay, Nicasio A. Pimentel Iii, Christina Marie Ysabel Cruz, Allen Joyce Flaviano

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

Step out of the ODLAB conference venue and into the real world of Organizational Development with Live Client Consulting, ODLAB 2025’s most immersive learning experience. Participants will be grouped and deployed to actual partner organizations in Zamboanga City—ranging from SMEs, community institutions, and business organizations—where they will engage with leaders and staff to conduct real-time diagnosis, facilitation, and consultation. This rare opportunity allows learners to apply OD tools and frameworks in a dynamic and unscripted environment, gaining insights that no simulation can match. Under the guidance of senior OD mentors, each team will be expected to observe organizational realities, conduct …

Exploring The Mediating Role Of Individual Performance In The Relationship Between Work-Life Balance And Attrition, Grace O. Leasure

Research Psychology Theses

Extensive research has established a relationship between work-life balance and employee attrition. However, limited attention has been given to the potential mediating role of individual performance within this dynamic. The present study aims to address this gap by examining whether individual performance mediates the relationship between work-life balance and attrition. It is hypothesized that higher work-life balance will be associated with lower attrition rates, partially explained by improved individual performance. Data will be collected via employee surveys and analyzed using mediation analysis. Anticipated results may provide organizations with a quantifiable, performance-based justification for investing in work-life balance initiatives.

A Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention For Emotion Regulationand Aggression In Justice-Involved Adolescents: Preliminary Outcomes From A Non-Randomized Trial In Short-Term Juvenile Detention, Cassidy L. Tennity

Dissertations

Justice-involved youth are at risk for a variety of psychosocial difficulties, including anger, aggression, and emotion regulation challenges. Short-term juvenile detention settings offer a unique opportunity to provide psychological interventions to youth before they are returned to the community or sentenced to long-term placements. However, implementation barriers within these settings often hinder the delivery of evidence-based care. This study developed and tested a brief, two-session anger management intervention for adolescents detained in a short-term juvenile detention center in the Southeastern United States, drawing on evidence-based practices from prior work with justice-involved youth. The present study examined implementation outcomes (i.e., feasibility, …

Test Driving Proximity Distances For Teacher Implementation Of Effective Instruction Delivery, Kenneth Joseph Ross Ii

Dissertations

Student noncompliance can disrupt teacher instruction and affect students’ ability to learn in the classroom. Interventions can be provided to teachers within the PBIS tiered system to address noncompliance. One intervention that addresses noncompliance, Effective Instruction Delivery (EID), has been demonstrated to increase levels of compliance above baseline levels. Despite the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions such as EID, there are significant concerns with ensuring the feasibility of evidence-based interventions to match the needs of teachers in the classroom to reduce teacher burn-out. A possible strategy to promote high levels of fidelity is to allow teachers to test drive interventions before …

The Impact Of Positive Psychology Use Upon Gls Outcomes For People With Chronic Pain Syndromes, Timothy Michael Curtis

Theses and Dissertations

The essence of being human is realized by our discovery of meaningful purpose throughout each important stage of our lives. If we perceive that we lack this meaningful purpose in our lives, it could become a distressful source of suffering to our sense of well-being emotionally, cognitively and perhaps, spiritually. A strong indicator of well-being comes from a good evaluation we ascertain as to how well we believe outcomes in our lives are consistent with our goals and values, which is also known as satisfaction with life. Research findings indicate that the more someone experiences repeated negative life events, the …

To Leave Or Not To Leave: Organizational Support Types, Utility And Employee Commitment, Zhe Dong

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Organizational support research has shown it to be a significant predictor of organizational commitment; however, specifying labeling support types and grouping them has rarely been done, let alone the utilization of the supports. In this study, undergraduate students were recruited to investigate how different types of organizational support and their utilization influence organizational commitment (OC), specifically the six types of support groups (monetary/financial, developmental, work-life balance, health and wellbeing, social, recognition, and reward). Using hierarchical regression and moderation analyses, this study examined 1. Whether specific support types predict organizational commitment, 2. Whether specific support types can explain more variance in …

Parent's Play Corner: A Dramatic Play Resource For Parents Of Young Children, Matty Bakeer

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Parents play a critical role in supporting their child’s early development, yet many face barriers that limit their involvement in meaningful, developmentally supportive play—particularly dramatic play. Dramatic play supports children’s language, self-regulation, executive function, and emotional competence, but most existing interventions are school-based and teacher-focused. This creates an access gap for parents, especially those experiencing time, financial, or confidence-related challenges. The present project addresses this gap through the development and implementation of ParentsPlayCorner, an Instagram-based resource that promotes parent engagement in dramatic play at home. ParentsPlayCorner delivers accessible, research-informed content using Instagram. Weekly posts include Motivation Monday (play prompts), Wellness …

Association Between Social Participation And Nonmotor Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease, Zackary B. Zanotelli

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research has shown that social participation can aid in slowing cognitive decline and is associated with cognitive functioning in older adults. Being that Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily known for its motor and cognitive symptoms, it is worth evaluating social participation in patients with Parkinson’s Disease. The aim of this project is to determine whether social participation is associated with more favorable trajectories of neuropsychiatric symptoms among patients afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease. More specifically, this project will seek to examine how specific social activities may be uniquely associated with cognitive decline.

Participants (N = 8,389) who were …

Lgbt+ Poc Well-Being And Resilience, Terra Reynoso

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Historically, both LGBT+ individuals and People of Color have each been subjected to stressors linked to oppression, with those belonging to both groups experiencing a potentially higher degree of distress. This study examined factors that contribute to resilience and well-being in LGBT+ People of Color to highlight potential means to mitigate this distress, guided by queer theory and intersectionality theory in order to provide a relevant framework to inform preliminary research, interview questions, and content analysis. Interviews were conducted with twelve participants with subsequent content analysis revealing the use of social support networks, access to community, productive coping strategies, and …

The Use Of Sludge Content For Effective Recall Of Information, Rahaf G. Fares

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In an age where social media dominates daily consumption, the impact of engaging multi-modal media, specifically “sludge content,” on attention and memory has garnered significant interest. Sludge content, which generally combines unrelated visual gameplay with narrated audio and subtitles, has emerged as a popular form of online entertainment. This study explored whether this type of content enhances information recall by capturing users’ attention, a claim bolstered by theories of optimal arousal, non-pharmacological interventions such as fidget toys, and audiovisual redundancy. Using a within-subjects experimental design, the study investigated the effects of sludge content on effective recall through three conditions: sludge …

Lifetime Stressor Exposure, Race And Ethnicity, And Habitual Stress Processes: An Evaluation Of Repetitive Negative Thinking And Hair Cortisol Concentration, Harrison Dickens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Habitual stress processes are thought to influence acute stress reactivity and stress-related disease. Habitual stress processes have been shown to adapt in response to stressor exposure experienced across the lifespan. The current study seeks to explore whether two habitual stress processes, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and repetitive negative thinking (RNT), were associated with lifetime stressor exposure (self-reported and objective neighborhood-level stressors). Additionally, the current study attempts to quantify how this process may be moderated by race and ethnicity. Participants (N = 134, Mage = 18 [SDage= 1.69], 56.7% female) consisting of White (N = 52), Black (N = 37 ), …

Decision Field Theory For Human-Multi-Robot Collaboration: Human-Centric Decision-Making For Multi-Robot Systems, Ryan Mbagna Nanko

All Theses

At first glance, choosing between an apple and an orange appears to be a straightforward matter of personal taste; however, this seemingly simple preference opens a window into the multifaceted world of decision-making, revealing the complex interplay of cognitive processes, psychological, and behavioral-economic principles that guide our choices \cite{bandyopadhyayRoleAffectDecision2013}. By unpacking these nuanced perspectives, we uncover insights that can drive more effective human-robot interaction and collaboration.

Modeling human cognition requires understanding the evolution of choice utility and the influence of emotions. Decision Field Theory (DFT) stands out by capturing the fluctuating nature in human preferences over time, explaining why choices …

What Drives Burnout? A Cross-Wave Study Of Work Schedule Justice, Work Schedule Characteristics, And Demographic Predictors, Zara Sedghi

All Theses

Burnout is a critical concern in modern workplaces, especially for employees with demanding or irregular schedules. While prior research has shown that non-standard scheduling practices can contribute to emotional exhaustion, less is known about how perceptions of fairness in scheduling influence burnout over time. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, WSC is conceptualized as a job demand, while WSJ is treated as a job resource. This study investigates the effects of structural features of an employee’s work schedule, such as working evening shifts, night shifts, weekends, extended hours, or overtime (referred to here as Work Schedule Characteristics (WSC)) and …

The Diversity Of Our Weightlifting Uniforms: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Experiences Of Gender And Sexual Minorities In Gyms, Rachel M. Schott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gender and sexual minority (GSM) populations experience significant mental and physical health disparities compared to their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. A particularly understudied modality that may contribute to these disproportionate health outcomes is decreased engagement in physical activity (PA). Gyms are a primary source for PA, yet understanding GSM experiences in these spaces is relatively understudied. The purpose of the present study is to better understand the experiences of GSMs in gym spaces with an emphasis on barriers and facilitators to their engagement. We conducted semi-structured phone interviews among self-identified gender and sexual minorities across the U.S. Thematic analysis was used …

The Intersection Of Appalachian Identity And Gambling Behavior, Noah S. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relation between Appalachian identity and gambling behavior among students in central Appalachia (n = 395). One-way ANOVAs revealed no significant differences in engagement, F(2, 392) = 0.65, p = .523, or severity, F(2, 392) = 0.33, p = .718, across identification groups. Moderated regression showed that identity did not significantly moderate the engagement–severity relation (B = 0.073, p = .099), though engagement itself was a strong predictor of harm (B = 0.696, p < .001, R² = .521). Negative affect predicted both engagement (B = 0.074, p = .001) and severity (B = 0.069, p = .001), while identity remained non-significant. Logistic regression found that identity predicted gambling engagement (Exp(B) = 1.18, p = .034) only when controlling for severity. These findings relay the importance of empirical efforts in Appalachia and suggest that Appalachian identity may not be an independent risk factor in gambling behavior.

Evaluating Online Autism Information: A Content Analysis Of Language, Quality, And Interventions, Jada R. Beal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The internet is a widely used source of autism-related information, yet previous studies demonstrate that the quality, accuracy, and language used in such content remain inconsistent. This study conducted a content analysis of 356 autism-related internet sources obtained from top Google search results, examining their use of neurodiversity-affirming language, the quality of health-related information, and the inclusion of evidence-based interventions. Results showed that medical model language and person-first terminology were more common than neurodiversity-affirming language. Sources targeting caregivers were significantly more likely to use medical model language than those aimed at autistic adults. Only 12.92% of sources included quotes or …

A Longitudinal Examination Of Online Expressive Writing Intervention Outcomes Comparing Hispanic Survivors Of Childhood Trauma And Adult Trauma, Michiyo Hirai, Laura L. Vernon, George A. Clum

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Childhood traumas such as childhood abuse and neglect are prevalent in Hispanic populations. They have long-term consequences including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in adulthood. Treatment options suitable for Hispanic survivors of childhood traumas and neglect are needed. Expressive writing (EW) can be a short, self-administered intervention and may address instrumental barriers (e.g. time, transportation) and stigma toward psychological disorders and interventions Hispanic trauma survivors may experience. Online EW has successfully reduced PTSS when targeting mixed traumas but has not been tested for PTSS from childhood traumas. The current study administered an online EW protocol to symptomatic Hispanic young adults with …

Phase 1 Clinical Trial Of ¡Iniciando! La Adultez: A Culturally Tailored Intervention For Transitioning Latino Young Adults With Autism, Antonio F. Pagán, Ana Esparza, Ana C. Ramirez, Miriam Ortiz, Linda Hernandez, Mary Beth Morgan, Geohanna Noel, Alejandro L. Pagán, Jada Salas, Cecilia Montiel-Nava

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

This Phase 1 clinical trial evaluated ¡Iniciando! la Adultez, a culturally adapted intervention for Latino autistic young adults (n = 56) and their parents (n = 63). Young adults showed significant post-treatment improvements on measures of social responsiveness (SRS-2), adaptive behavior (ABAS-3), executive functioning (BRIEF-A), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), transition readiness (TRS-A), coping self-efficacy (CSES), and emotion regulation (DERS-SF). Parents reported significant improvements in their perceptions of their child’s social responsiveness, adaptive behavior, and executive functioning, as well as increased transition readiness ratings. Notably, parents evinced a significant decrease in acculturative stress (RASI) and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), however, …

Examining Parent Accommodation Of Anxiety And Irritability In Preschool-Aged Children., Anna Olczyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety and irritability are common developmentally normative emotions in early childhood, yet are also related to risk for psychopathology in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Parenting behaviors, including parent accommodation, may influence this risk. Parent accommodation is the parent modification of child/family routines and/or avoidance of activities to reduce child distress and has been documented widely in the anxiety literature. Although some research has examined parent accommodation of anxiety in preschool-aged children, most research has investigated accommodation of anxiety in clinical samples of school-aged children. Further, despite high rates of co-occurrence between child anxiety and irritability, research on parent accommodation of …

Peer Functioning And Risk For Co-Occurring Adhd And Anxiety Symptoms In School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Analysis., Helena F. Alacha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. Youth with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have higher rates of anxiety in comparison to their peers without ADHD. Children with co-occurring ADHD and anxiety exhibit a unique clinical presentation that poses challenges to both assessment and treatment. Consequently, children with comorbid ADHD and anxiety experience increased impairment, and often have poorer long-term outcomes than children with either ADHD or anxiety alone. Preliminary evidence suggests that different psychosocial phenomena commonly experienced by children with ADHD—such as peer functioning—may increase susceptibility to anxiety. Considering that children with ADHD encounter a range of peer difficulties, the present study proposed and evaluated different …

Dementia Caregiving Styles: Characterizing Dementia Caregivers Via A Novel Framework., Darby M. Simon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As dementia rates increase, effective family caregivers are crucial to meeting the increasing demand for dementia care. However, dementia caregiving is a demanding experience, and caregivers have varying strategies for providing care, leading to positive and negative outcomes and appraisals of their caregiving experience. Limited research explores this relationship, and extant work is qualitative with no clinical measure. This study adapted a pre-existing framework/measure from a different caregiver population (parents) to explore a) if the same framework applied to both caregiving populations and b) the associations between the styles and psychological well-being and other caregiving variables. Exploratory Factor Analysis tested …

The Influence Of Psychological, Biological, And Social Determinants On Disordered Eating Behaviors Among U.S. Young Adults: Evidence From Nhanes 2015-2018., Samantha Kaye Gerbine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are influenced by biological, social, and psychological factors, yet research often narrowly focuses on White, college-aged women. This study assessed the predictors and prevalence of DEBs in a nationally representative sample of U.S. young adults using data from the 2015–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Survey weights were applied to generate national estimates. Descriptive statistics characterized the sample, and logistic regressions tested biological, social, and psychological predictors of DEBs. A composite risk score was developed using variables retained in the final model. The unweighted sample (n = 1,062) represented 64 million U.S. young adults. …

Polymathy: The Foundational Source Of Creativity And Innovation., Michael Araki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an era of mounting complexity and a growing need to transcend siloed thinking, this dissertation advances polymathy as a critical yet underexplored construct in the management and behavioral sciences. Polymathy is framed as an expansive approach to the pursuit, development, and application of knowledge, marked by the conjunction of breadth, depth, and integration. Building on a thought lineage that stretches from Ancient Greece through the Renaissance to the present day, this work shows that polymathy is neither a relic of the past nor an achievement reserved for a few—but a mode of being, thinking, and acting in the world …

Burning The Wick At Both Ends: A Three Paper Investigation Of Burnout And Educators, Karla P. Miner

All Dissertations

Researchers in the late 20th century identified the impact of burnout on organizational and individual success. The urgency to address burnout in education has intensified following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher burnout, characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of inadequacy, has been a commonly discussed topic among educators internationally following the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies highlight the alarming rates of burnout among educators, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to support well-being and mitigate educator attrition. This collection of papers addresses three primary aspects of burnout and practice: a literature review of individual and organizational practice, a …

Revolutionizing Digital Privacy Education For Older Adults: Enhanced Interventions And Ai-Assisted Learning Strategies, Heba Aly

All Dissertations

As older adults increasingly engage with digital platforms, they face unique privacy risks stemming from limited digital literacy, reduced trust in AI technologies, and constrained access—especially in rural or underserved communities. While digital tools offer benefits like social connection and information access, current privacy education efforts often neglect the needs of older adults. This dissertation addresses this gap by developing, testing, and refining digital privacy education interventions tailored for older adults, with a focus on trust, personalization, and AI-assisted learning.

Study 1 evaluates multiple instructional modalities across age groups, revealing older adults prefer structured videos and interactive tutorials, while younger …

Gesture-Based Icon Messages: Examining The Effects Of A Nonverbal Transparency Strategy For Supporting Situation Awareness In Human-Autonomy Communication, Heather Watkins

All Dissertations

Automated systems continue to transform tasks that were once manual, introducing new challenges for operators to maintain situation awareness (SA). This research examines gesture-based icon messages (GIMs) as a transparency strategy to address challenges present in human-autonomy communication (HAC). Drawing from Endsley’s (1995) three-level model of SA, GIMs were designed to convey different types of information: perception, comprehension, and projection. The goal of this work was to understand whether GIMs could be distinguished by operators, and whether they support SA under conditions that reflect the divided attention demands that are common in operational settings. Study 1 focused on assessing whether …

Flipping The Script?: The Development And Validation Of A Qualitative Framework For Identifying Key Cognitive And Attitudinal Components Of Conflict-Based Problem Representations, Kyle Christenson

All Dissertations

When people work together, disagreements are inevitable. How someone understands a given conflict, specifically whether they see it as a shared problem or not, can shape how they respond and whether they look to resolve it collaboratively. Researchers have studied many aspects of conflict, like what causes it and the strategies people use to manage it. But we know much less about how people think about conflict in the first place and how those thoughts affect efforts to manage conflict. This research developed a tool to study how people describe conflicts in writing. It identifies key ideas and attitudes that …